The Mystery of Wandering Caveman - M. V. Carey [5]
“There, now,” said Wolf. He grinned at Jupe. “Thanks, Jupe. My wife would never have forgiven me if the cat had got away and been run over or something.”
Wolf started for the house with the kitten cradled in his arms. But then he stopped and turned back towards Jupiter. “Say, you know that little town down the coast? The place where they found the cave man? I’m putting in a new kitchen in a restaurant there later this week. Didn’t your aunt tell my wife that you’ve been following that cave man story in the newspapers?”
“You bet I have!” said Jupe eagerly. “The cave man goes on view this Saturday.
Are you taking the big truck to Citrus Grove? You wouldn’t need a helper on that job, would you?”
“You’re too young, and besides you’re not in the union,” said Mr. Wolf. “Hal Knight is going along to help. But if you don’t mind riding in the back of the truck, along with my gear …”
“You bet I don’t!” said Jupe quickly. “Could my friends Bob and Pete come too?”
“Sure. Only you boys will have to find a place to stay. It’ll take me about three days to finish the job, and the couple who own the restaurant will put me up. They’ve got room for Hal, too, but they don’t have room for any more.”
“That’ll be all right,” said Jupe. “We can bring our sleeping bags and camp out.”
Jupe hurried home to call his friends and to get permission from Aunt Mathilda and Uncle Titus to make the trip. On Friday morning, when Les Wolf’s truck rolled out of Rocky Beach, Jupe, Pete, and Bob were aboard.
Mr. Wolf drove south for nearly two hours, then turned off the main highway and headed east, up into the hills. The road turned and dipped and climbed. The boys saw orange groves on either side, open fields, clusters of trees, and broad meadows where cattle grazed.
After half an hour the truck slowed to go through a town called Centerdale, beyond which were more miles of trees and groves and grassland. Then at last a sign informed them: “Entering Citrus Grove. Speed laws strictly enforced.”
Citrus Grove was hardly more than a hamlet. The boys saw a supermarket, two petrol stations, a car dealership, and a tiny motel called The Elms. They passed the town swimming pool and then an abandoned railway station that looked bleak and dusty. In the centre of the village a little park lined one side of the street and a row of narrow stores lined the other. The boys saw a bank, a hardware store, a drugstore and the public library. But though the town was small, there were crowds everywhere. A neon “No Vacancy” sign flashed at the motel, and outside the Lazy Daze Cafe a long line of people was waiting to be seated.
“All that publicity about the cave man,” said Bob. “It’s really drawing the crowds.”
Jupe grinned at the sight of a crowded hamburger stand that advertised dinosaur burgers. “That’s getting into the swing of things,” he said.
Les Wolf turned on to a side road beyond the park and pulled to the kerb. He leaned out to call to the boys.
“The Happy Hunter Restaurant is down this way half a mile or so,” he said. “I called the owner last night and he said the campground near town is full. He says you’re to see Newt McAfee in that grey frame house at the head of Main Street.
McAfee’s finding places for people to stay.”
“Not that guy from TV!” exclaimed Pete.
“I’m afraid so,” said Jupe.
The boys scrambled out of the truck.
“Check with me at the Happy Hunter on Monday,” Wolf told them. Then he drove away.
Newt McAfee’s house looked pleasant enough when the boys started towards it. In front it had a wide porch and a small lawn. As the boys neared the place, however, they saw that the house badly needed paint and the curtains at the windows were grey and limp. Some of the shutters were missing slats. The lawn was mostly crabgrass.
“Looks seedy, doesn’t it?” said Bob. “I thought McAfee owned the hardware store and the car dealership.”
“Maybe that doesn’t make him prosperous in a town this size,” said Jupe.